A Walk in the Woods
by WingedPegasus
Summary: When Teyla is captured and made into a Runner, it's up to our boys to make sure she gets home safe. Team friendship, Shep/Teyla friendship, and whump for all!
1. Chapter 1

A_uthor's Note: This is the very first fanfic I ever wrote, even tough I'm posting it after I've posted other things I've written since. I've edited it quite a deal since then, so hopefully you won't consider it too poorly written. ;-) There are around 5 chapters and an epilogue. Oh, and all my stories are set in early-mid season 3 . . . hope no one minds. Enjoy!  
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_Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate Franchise._

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Chapter One

Deep in the jungle of an an alien planet, the three men of SGA-1 followed a barely discernible path through the underbrush. It was nearing the afternoon on Lantea, but on this planet the sun was just beginning to burn off a heavy layer of fog.. Water droplets from drooping fronds fell to the ground as they passed, making a pleasant pitter-pattering sound that lent to the general aura of a relaxing hike. The silence was broken only by the buzz of insects, the breathing of three hot people, and Dr. Rodney McKay's whining.

"Refresh my memory, Colonel," he complained, "exactly why do we have to do our own imitation of the Bataan death march through this godforsaken jungle?"

"I told you, Rodney," Sheppard replied with false patience. "Teyla went to go visit some village here two days ago, and now we're going to pick her up."

"Yes, yes, I know that much, but why aren't we taking the jumper?" McKay asked. He swatted at a loudly whirring and particularly annoying jungle insect, then made a disgusted face as he scraped its flattened carcass off his hand.

"I mean, it's not that I _mind_ being assaulted by the Pegasus galaxy's version of the mosquito, but wouldn't it be a lot, oh, I don't know, _faster?_"

"Yes, right up until the point where there's nowhere to land it!" Sheppard snapped. "Look, I picked the closest place possible to village to land. It's only a couple miles out." He continued on under his breath. "As if the _other_ whiny insects weren't annoying enough . . . "

"A couple miles!" Rodney griped, oblivious of Sheppard's remark. "Well, unlike some people I know, I spend my time making cutting edge scientific advances, not running around the city for sport. So, for me, a few miles is a little far!"

"You know one of the appealing things about the Bataan death march, McKay?" asked the colonel.

Rodney slapped at another oversized mosquito wannabe. "What?" he asked irritatedly.

"The prisoners weren't allowed to talk!"

McKay rolled his eyes. "Oh, very funny, Sheppard."

"You know Rodney," John said, "Teyla walked all the way from the gate, and yet somehow I doubt she was complaining."

"Yes, well, if she liked it so much why couldn't she walk _back?_"

"It's fifteen miles, McKay!" Sheppard said in an exasperated voice. "Besides, our mission was moved up to tomorrow and Elizabeth told us to go get her early."

"Oh, so now we have a mission tomorrow? Lovely. Why am I always the last person to find out about these things?"

"Maybe because you're so annoying," Ronon muttered.

"Oh, thanks so much! And what shall we say about you, Mr. Monosyllabic?"

Ronon glared at him, then turned to Sheppard. "Can I shoot him?" he asked.

Sheppard paused for a moment as though thinking about it, then shook his head. "Nah," he said, "We'd have to carry him."

"Good point."

o-o-O-o-o

The next twenty minutes of the trip were remarkably peaceful, and John actually found himself enjoying the walk. It was nice to be able to simply look at the scenery instead of having to run past it at full speed, fleeing from whatever new homicidal evil they'd accidentally disturbed. He found himself wishing more of the missions the team went on could be so uneventful. Suddenly his foot snagged a tree root, and he would have fallen if Ronon hadn't caught his arm.

"You okay?" the big man asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," John said. "Just wasn't paying attention."

In fact, it was pretty dark out, John noticed. It hadn't gotten much brighter out since they had arrived. He looked up at the sky and squinted at the dark cloud layer. So much for a nice hike on a sunny day.

A mere hundred yards later, the jungle ended at a thin strip of sandy beach. The three men stopped and stared. About half a mile out from the village, a large, flooded, and remarkably bridgeless river crossed their path.

"Oh, marvelous!" McKay complained. "What kind of idiotic Neanderthals would live right on top of a river and not build a bridge?"

"I wouldn't say that, McKay," said Sheppard as he walked over to the swollen edge of th river. "Looks like there _wa_s a bridge here. Just . . . not anymore." He waved his hand at the ground, indicating a fairly recent-looking pile of rubble.

"Oh, of course it's washed out." McKay said. "I remember now. This is the planet's rainy season. The river must have flooded and taken the bridge along with."

"Well, that's just dandy," said Sheppard. "Ronon, have you been to this planet before?"

"Yeah," the runner replied.

"Is there another bridge over this river?" Sheppard asked.

"Yeah, but it's nearly twenty-five miles north of here. It would take us way to long to go there."

"No kidding," agreed the colonel.

"If you want to get across, we're gonna have to wade it," said Ronon.

"No no no no no, I am _not_ wading across that river!" Rodney said almost hysterically.

"And why not?" asked Sheppard, turning toward him.

"Because I barely passed swimming level _one_ when I was a kid, and there is _no_ way I am crossing a rushing, flooded river that's who knows _how_ deep!" shouted McKay.

"It's not that deep, even when it's flooded," Ronon said.

"And this is supposed to be comforting? You could have gotten a basketball scholarship on Earth, 'not that deep' for you is probably over my head!"

"Shut up, McKay," Ronon said tiredly.

"No, I will not shut up! Asking me to cross that river is like—like—asking me to go jump off a cliff!" he said.

Sheppard shot him a dark look, then turned to Ronon. "Ronon, I don't know if this is such a good idea," Sheppard said quietly. "I might be able to cross this thing, but I doubt Rodney could."

"How else do you plan on getting to the village?" said Ronon.

"I don't know. We'll have to figure something else out," said Sheppard.

Ronon nodded and started to turn, then stopped. "Sheppard?"

"Yeah?"

"Do we have any rope?" the runner asked.

Sheppard looked confused for a minute, then realization dawned on his face and he smiled. "Yep."

o-o-O-o-o

A few minutes later, Ronon had one end of the rope tied to his waist, the other end tied to a tree, and was halfway across the river. It looked to be nearly neck high at its deepest point, but the runner seemed to not to be having any difficulty. Sheppard was glad they had him along. Just then Ronon reached the other side, got out, and tied the other end of the rope to another tree. He waved to them, telling them it was ready. Sheppard looked over at McKay, who had sat down on the beach and was untying his boots.

"What on earth are you doing, McKay?" he asked.

"Firstly, we're not on earth, so please use the correct terminology. Secondly, I happen to have very sensitive skin, and if I go tromping around the woods in wet boots I'll get blisters and jungle rot and all sorts of unpleasant things." McKay stood up, slung his boots around his neck and stuffed his socks in his vest pocket. "Now, are we going to go or not?"

"Yes Rodney, as a matter of fact we are." John said.

They stood there a minute.

"Any time now, McKay," Sheppard said.

"Oh, yes, right, of course." said Rodney. He started to move reluctantly out into the river, holding tightly to the rope.

The trip was uneventful, if rather slow, until they were about two-thirds of the way across the river. Then McKay tripped on a submerged rock and went down, almost losing his grip on the rope.

"McKay!" John shouted, grabbing hold of Rodney's vest. He pulled him up out of the water, but not before Rodney's boots slipped free from around his neck and floated merrily downstream.

"Are you okay?" Sheppard asked.

"Fine. A little wet." He leaned on the rope until he got his breath back. "Okay, let's go." he said. Sheppard smiled.

"Ladies first."

Rodney rolled his eyes.

"Immature little . . ."

It wasn't before they had reached the other side when Rodney noticed his boots were missing.

"Oh, great! Blisters and jungle rot were bad enough, but I'd prefer those to whatever alien fungus I'm going to get now!" he complained.

"You're the one who decided to take your boots off in the first place, McKay," said Sheppard. "Now let's keep going. The villagers are bound to have something they can lend you."

o-o-O-o-o

For about five minutes, they walked in relative silence. Sheppard was shocked McKay hadn't complained more than he did when his boots were lost. Maybe the man was getting a little more reasonable in his old age. John thought about Rodney's complaints about walking through the jungle, and he smirked. No, he wasn't getting more reasonable. He was probably just tired.

"Ow!"

"What now, Rodney?" John asked, slightly annoyed.

"I just stepped on some stupid native's idea of a practical joke, that's what!" Rodney spat.

John looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"A trap! I stepped on a stupid trap! Does that clear things up for you, captain oblivious?"

Sheppard looked at the trap now attached to the scientists foot. It looked like the thing had been lying in the grass a long time, most likely whoever had laid it had forgotten it long ago. The once sharp jaws had rusted down to barely recognizable nubs, and the tripping mechanism was so badly corroded that he was surprised it had worked at all. Still, if it had been a newer trap Rodney's foot might not have been attached to his leg anymore. He made a mental note to keep a closer eye on where he was walking.

He turned to Ronon. "Think you can get it off him?" he asked.

"Yup." The runner stepped over to Rodney bent down toward the other man's foot.

"Hey—Ow! Watch what you're doing, you unevolved ape! That's very sensitive! OW!"

Ronon flung the now unrecognizable and totally harmless trap off to the side of the trail.

"Look where you're walking next time," Ronon muttered.

"Yes, thank you _so_ much!" said Rodney, his voice dripping sarcasm. "Did you really have to pull so hard? The concept was to release the thing, not rip my foot off! Good grief, I think you broke the skin!"

Ronon looked like he seriously considering shooting him. Sheppard slapped Ronon comfortingly on the arm, and turned to continue down the path.

"Buck up, McKay," he called over his shoulder. "It's just a scratch." Ronon followed him, leaving Rodney no choice but to do the same. But not as quietly.

"Oh, that's right. Mock the injured, _shoeless _man! You know, if Conan here hadn't insisted that we wade that river I wouldn't even be in this predicament. Did you see the rust on that trap? I could get tetanus! I'm going to have to get a shot when we get back to Atlantis . . ." McKay trailed off, mumbling under his breath about the unfairness of the world.

Sheppard and Ronon just looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

o-o-O-o-o

For the next few minutes, peace and tranquility reigned as they tromped through the foliage. John noticed that McKay was limping a bit and lagging behind. John slowed the pace a bit, giving the scientist time to catch up.

"How far is this stupid village?" Rodney whined, sounding rather like a petulant child. An annoying petulant child. "We've been walking for hours."

"Actually, it's only been fifteen minutes, and it should be just over this hill," said Sheppard.

"Oh, thank goodness," said McKay, sounding genuinely relieved. His foot had been aching a bit, and he was looking forward to sitting down in a chair and dunking his sore feet in a bucket of hot water. As he neared the top of the hill, he realized that Ronon and Sheppard had stopped at the crest and were staring aghast at what lay below. He walked up beside them and looked down at the scene below.

The village had been completely decimated.

TBC . . .

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_A/N: As you can see, thing's aren't going to be all fun and games for our dashing heroes. Later chapters will have a significantly changed banter/action ratio. How else could I get that whump in there? ;-) Reviews are loved and cherished! :-)  
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	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I own none of the Staregate franchise._

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Chapter 2

For a moment, the three men just stood there, staring in shock at the smoldering remains of the village. Ronon was the first to break the stunned silence.

"Come on," he said. "let's go check for survivors."

"But— isn't this the village where Teyla was supposed to be?" asked Rodney.

"Yes," said John shortly.

"If she was here-"

"Let's hope she wasn't," John said as he started down the hill. "Let's go."

o-o-O-o-o

Ash, dust, and the acrid smell of smoke filled their nostrils as they entered the remains of the village. Half-collapsed, still burning houses lined the streets, and fallen rubble blocked the road in many places. Whoever destroyed this place had done a very thorough job. They had taken only a few steps into the village when they saw the first dessicated corpse leaning against a wall.

"Wraith," Ronon hissed, drawing his blaster. John flicked the safety off his P-90, and Rodney took out his pistol. More fed-upon bodies came into view as they walked down the wreckage-strewen road. Some had a crude weapon of some sort clutched in their hands, but nearly all wore bedclothes.

"They must have come at night," John said, looking with mixed disgust and pity at one of the shriveled faces.

"I'm getting something," said Rodney, looking at the LSD. "One life sign, coming from that house." He indicated a somewhat intact dwelling to their right.

"Teyla?" John asked.

"Or a wraith," Ronon said.

"Alright," Sheppard said, "McKay, you stay out here in case we need backup. Ronon, you're with me."

Ronon nodded, stepping into the doorway.

"Okay, let's go."

o-o-O-o-o

The house creaked and groaned in a very unsettling way as they entered. The entire structure could fall down on top of them in a matter of seconds, and there wouldn't be a thing they could do about it. The thought of it sent an unpleasant chill down John's spine. He went in first, checking corners while holding the LSD tightly next to his P-90. They passed what seemed to be the kitchen, the table charred and tipped over onto the ground. What looked to be the remains of the occupant's last meal were strewn on the floor. Their boots crunching on rubble and broken pottery, they slowly neared the blinking life sign on the screen. In the corner of the kitchen, there was a pile of debris with a small, very unwraith-like leg sticking out to one side. John dropped his gun and stepped forward, Ronon right behind him. They dug quickly through the rubble, and soon uncovered the dirty and terrified face of a young boy.

"It's okay, kid, you're alright," John said comfortingly, even as he swallowed his own bitter disappointment.

"Who are you?" the boy asked, his voice trembling with fright.

"We're friends of Teyla's. Do you know her?" John asked.

"Yes," the boy said. "I am Jentar. My father is—was—the leader of our village, Teyla stayed with us."

"Do you know where she is now?" asked John.

"Yes— " he started to say, but was cut off by a loud groan from the house.

"We should go," Ronon said as he looked warily at the ceiling.

"Yeah," Sheppard agreed. "Jentar, can you walk?" the boy shook his head.

"My leg is broken," he said. John swore under his breath as the house grated and screeched again.

"Alright, we're gonna have to carry you then. Ronon, you ready?"

The runner straighted from where he was stooping behind the table. He was holding a pair of boots.

"Yeah. I'll take him."

He bent over and picked up Jentar, and the boy's face screwed up as he tried to stifle a cry of pain. The house started to creak and groan again, and this time it didn't stop.

"Run!" John yelled, following Ronon as they sprinted toward the door. Just as Ronon rushed out into the street, the house collapsed behind him.

"Sheppard!" Ronon shouted. He quickly set Jentar on the ground and ran to the pile of rubble that was once the house.

"Sheppard!" he yelled again. This time, an answering cough reached his ears. He moved closer and saw John laying in the wreckage, covered in dust and pinned down by a beam. Ronon ran over and pulled it off of him, grunting with effort. It crashed off to the side.

"Are you okay?" Ronon asked.

"Mostly," Sheppard groaned as he sat up, "I think my shoulder's dislocated."

"Which one?" the runner asked.

"Left."

Ronon reached over, grabbed John's shoulder and popped it back into place with a sickening crunch. Sheppard turned a few shades whiter.

"Thanks a lot," he ground out between clenched teeth. "Help me up."

Ronon hauled him to his feet and steadied him when he swayed a bit.

"Okay. I'm all right now."

While they were occupied, Rodney had leaned Jentar against a pack. Ronon knelt on the ground in front of the boy and John sat down heavily next to him, nursing his sore shoulder.

"You know what happened to Teyla?" Ronon asked the boy.

"Yes," he replied slowly. "She saved my life. When the wraith came, my brother and I were in our beds. We heard—we heard our parents, screaming as the wraith took their life. We rushed downstairs to the kitchen, but Teyla told us to stay and to try to find a different way out. My brother pushed past her into the kitchen. She tried to stop him, but the wraith had already seen us. One of them—one of them fed on my brother, and the other raised his gun and aimed it at me." He took a shuddering breath. "Teyla jumped in front of me and pushed me into the corner. I saw them taking her away . . . then part of the roof fell on me, and I don't remember anything else."

Sheppard nodded, his brow knitted in worry and pain. Then he stood.

"Come on," he said, "We need to get back to the jumper."

"Wait a second," McKay said , "I know this is a really, really bad time to ask, but I can't walk back to the jumper without—" Wordlessly, Ronon thrust the pair of boots he had picked up in the house into McKay's arms. Rodney looked down at them for a minute, speechless.

"He didn't need them anymore," the runner said grimly. McKay looked like he was going to be sick for a moment, but put the boots on. Ronon picked up Jentar, and they began the long walk back to the jumper.

TBC . . .

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	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate franchise._

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Chapter 3

Teyla slowly opened her eyes, light piercing her aching, foggy head. Where was she? That question was answered by merely glancing about her surroundings. She was on a wraith ship. Fantastic. That just figured. She shook her head, her lips curling slightly. She had been spending too much time around John lately. Getting up, she took stock of her small cell, looking for any way to escape. She noticed a control panel on the other side of the webbing separating her from the corridor, much like the one in the last wraith cell she had been in. Except that time, Ronon and his many knives had been there, and they had been hopped up on wraith enzyme. Where was that spot Ronon hit? Ah, there it was. Having located her target, she reached down for her leg knife. It was gone. There went that idea.

Just then, a male wraith and two drones came down the corridor toward her cell. The webbing slid open, allowing them to enter. The male wraith walked up to her and stared her in the face, hissing menacingly. Then he signaled the drones with a toss of his head. They stepped forward, grabbed hold of Teyla's arms and marched her out of the cell.

A short time later, they reached a dark, cathedral-like room with a dim circle of light in the middle of the floor. On the other side of the room there was a throne, with a male wraith sitting on it. The last time she had seen a wraith this ugly was on Sateda, when Ronon had been made a runner again. The drones deposited her in the circle of light, then stepped back out of it. The wraith king rose from his throne, and walked slowly toward her, stopping mere inches away. She spat in in his face. The drones immediately grabbed hold of her arms again, and the wraith king wiped his face, his eyes never leaving hers. Then with the lightning speed he her punched her in the stomach. She grunted and doubled over, and the king leaned over with her.

"You have spirit," he hissed. "good. You will make an excellent runner."

Teyla glared at him. "Is that why your drones did not feed on me?" she spat.

"Yes. I stopped them when I sensed something—different about you." The king circled her as he spoke. "You have a part of us in you. Most of us view your kind as an abomination, but I and some others view them as an . . . opportunity. If you allow it, your 'gift' can tell you where we are . . . just as we now can know wherever _you_ are."

Teyla's eyes widened slightly on hearing his last sentence, and she shot up one of her hands to feel her back. In between her shoulderblades, she could just feel a scar that had not been there before. They had implanted her with a tracking device. The king smiled, showing his decaying, gray teeth.

"You see, some of the older hunters grow tired of always knowing the location of their prey, and the prey never knowing the location of the hunters." He leaned in closer. "I have been searching for another such as you, ever since our last runner was disposed of. The hunters will be very pleased."

He smiled cruelly, then turned and walked back toward his throne, regally retaking his seat. The drones seized Teyla's arms and led her roughly out of the the room.

Instead of being brought back to her cell, she was brought to the hangar, and led out to one of the piers she recognized as where the darts land. The drones brought her to the end of the dock, then stepped back, stunners still aimed in her direction. She wondered briefly what was going on, then she heard the whine of a dart overhead. Looking up, the last thing she saw of the wraith ship was the blinding light of a culling beam.

o-o-O-o-o

"I'm fine, doc, really!" came the petulant voice of a certain Col. John Sheppard.

"No, you're bloody _not_, colonel," Dr. Beckett said in his Scottish brogue. "Your shoulder was dislocated!"

John rolled his eyes."Yes doc, operative word there being _was. _I'm fine now!"

Unfortunately, he made a bit to animated of a gesture with that last sentence, causing him to wince at the pain radiating from his shoulder. The wince did not escape the sharp eye of the doctor.

"Oh, you are, are you," he said victoriously.

Sheppard deflated."Look, Carson," he said quietly, "I need to get out of here. A member of my team is missing, and I'm not about to let an ex-dislocated shoulder stop me from looking for her!"

Carson seemed to soften."All right, colonel," he said. "But you have to wear the sling, and actually _take _the pain medication I gave you this time!"

Sheppard smiled, already on his way out of the infirmary. "You betcha, doc!" he called over his shoulder. Stopping for a moment outside the infirmary to put his sling on, he headed off the briefing room.

o-o-O-o-o

"What do you mean, 'No' ?!" John shouted.

Dr. Elizabeth Weir took a deep breath before facing the angry man before her.

"John, you know why I can't sanction the search," she said. "Judging from the facts you just gave me, Teyla could be anywhere. I simply can't expend the manpower to search every planet in this galaxy!"

For a moment, silence reigned in the room.

"I'm sorry, John." she said more quietly. Sheppard looked crestfallen. Then he abruptly turned and walked quickly out of the briefing room. Rodney and Ronon got up and followed him, leaving Elizabeth sitting alone. She sat there for a minute, staring at the folder in front of her. Then she shook her head, got up and left the room.

o-o-O-o-o

When Ronon and Rodney found found him a few moments later, John was standing alone on a balcony, staring out over the city. His head was bowed, and his hands gripped the railing so tightly his knuckles were turning white. They said nothing for a long moment. Then Ronon broke the silence.

"We'll find her," Ronon said.

John raised his head, but kept his back turned. "How can you know?" he said, his voice quiet.

This time Rodney joined in. "Teyla's smart," he said. "she'll stay alive until we can find her."

John was silent for a minute."We won't find her unless we're looking for her," he said, still not looking at them.

"Look, I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear right now, but Elizabeth's right. We don't have any idea where she is." Rodney said.

If it were possible, John's face fell even more. "Yeah. I know."

No one said anything for a moment, and John just continued his silent vigil over the city. Ronon nudged Rodney and pointed his head toward the door. Taking a last look at Sheppard, Rodney followed Ronon off the balcony.

John stayed there for a long time, thinking if there was something he overlooked, anything that could possibly tell him where Teyla could be. He could find nothing. As the sun began to drift toward the horizon, he wondered how a day that started out so wonderfully could end up so horrible. He sighed and considered going back inside. Maybe things would be better in the morning.

As he was leaving, his radio clicked in his ear. "John, please report to my office," Elizabeth's voice said.

"I'm on my way," he replied. With one last look at the blazing red sun, he turned and left the balcony.

TBC . . .

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_Reviews are . . . my precioussss . . . _

_Thanks to everyone who's reviewed! :D_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate franchise_.

* * *

Chapter 4

"You wanted to see me?" John asked, standing in the doorway of Elizabeth's office.

"Yes. Have a seat, John," she said, waving to a chair. He walked over and sat down.

"John," Elizabeth started to say, but John cut her off before she could get any further.

"I know, Elizabeth." he said dejectedly, looking anywhere but her face. "I was wrong, You were right, and I shouldn't have blown up at you." Elizabeth's eyebrows raised .

"Well!" she said, obviously surprised. "I guess we don't need to have _that_ conversation then."

"Okay. Anything else?" he asked.

"Yes."

Now it was John's turn to be surprised.

"I actually didn't call you here to talk about that," she continued.

"Ah . . . well . . .what was it then?" John asked.

"One of the Alpha site's Naquadah generators has broken down. I want you and Ronon to take Rodney there so he can fix it," she said.

"Why? Zelenka ought to be able to handle that." John said, confused.

"It's not a choice, John," she said. "I know this is going to be hard for you and your team," she said somewhat slowly. "I'm giving you some mandatory time off to get over this."

John looked down at his hands. "Oh."

"And John," she said. He stopped, turning halfway around. She lowered her head briefly, then looked up at him again. "I'm sorry."

John looked at her. "So am I," he said. Then he left.

o-o-O-o-o

John was headed down a corridor leading to his quarters when he hear by someone calling him.

"Colonel Sheppard!" a boy's voice called. "Colonel Sheppard, wait!"

John turned around to see Jentar moving at a speed no one would have thought possible with crutches. He smiled. The kid seemed to have gotten the hang of them really fast.

"Jentar!" he said as the boy caught up with him. "What are you doing out of the infirmary?"

"I came looking for you, colonel." Jentar said.

"What for?" John asked with a puzzled look.

"I heard you were going after Teyla."

A flash of surprise crossed John's face. "Who told you that?" he asked.

"Doctor Beckett said you wouldn't ever let a member of your team be captured without trying to find them," the boy replied.

"Well, in order to do that, I need permission from my superiors." John said slowly. "They said no."

The boy's face fell, and he looked down at the floor.

"Why did you want to know?" John asked.

"She saved my life," Jentar said, shrugging his shoulder dejectedly. "I thought I could try to help."

John knelt down on the floor and looked the boy in the eyes. "You know what?" he asked. "Dr. Beckett was right. Even though things don't look so good right now, I will never, _ever_ let a member of my team go without a fight. If anyone can find her, we will. OK?"

Jentar nodded, and John squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. "Now, do you have anywhere to go?" he asked.

"Doctor Beckett said that I would sleep in the infirmary until someone could take me to the mainland. I am to live with someone called . . . Halling?" he said questioningly. "They say he has a boy my age."

"That's good," John said. "you'll like him. Now, you better get back to the infirmary before Carson sends his minions after you."

The boy looked horrified, leading John to laugh. "I'm just kidding. Do you want me to take you?"

Jentar shook his head. "I know the way back. I hope you find Teyla soon," he said, and started on his way back to the infirmary.

John watched him go. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Me too." He turned and continued on his way.

o-o-O-o-o

On an unfamiliar world, a wraith dart whizzed by the stargate, sending out the brilliant flash of a culling beam as it passed. Teyla was left standing by the gate. To her amazement, the gate was not active. She could dial out! Apparently, the wraith were going to let her fight this battle on the ground of her choosing. Not wasting a moment, she ran the the DHD and dialed the first address that came to mind. The wormhole opened with a whoosh, and she stepped through the stargate to the other side.

As soon as she stepped out of the stargate, Teyla broke into a run for the treeline. A few minutes later, she had reached the remains of a culled and burned village. The last time she had been to this place, they had been searching for Ronon, combing through the fresh wreckage for any clue as to where the wraith had taken him. Now, she was in the same position he had been.

She rooted through the rubble of crumbled houses, searching for a weapon. There was not much left from the culling, but after a short while she found an old knife, a sword, and a crossbow. Having found what she needed to defend herself, she set about a different task. Taking a piece of smooth, uncharred wood and a small chunk of charcoal, she wrote something on the board. Then, slinging some rope she had found over her shoulder, she headed back the way she came.

A short time later, she arrived back at the gate. She dialed the Alpha Site and walked up to the event horizon. For a moment, she considered just walking through. Surely the Atlantian surgeons would be able to remove her tracking device before the wraith came . . . No. She could not risk the safety of the expedition. Even now, the wraith were tracking her every movement. They would know the instant she stepped through the gate, and would find and destroy the Alpha Site. Shutting her mind to the thought, she tossed the board through the gate. All she could do was try to survive until the team got her message and came for her. She turned from the now-inactive Stargate and raced back to the cover of the nearby woods. Once there, she took the rope off her shoulder and began to set a trap similar to the one Rodney had fallen prey to when they had first met Ronon. She smiled at the thought of the scientist hanging upside down, complaining loudly and waiting to be rescued. Except for the wraith, there would be no rescue.

Teyla had just finished putting the final touches on her wraith trap when she felt a wraith presence come through the gate. Make that two—no, three wraith. She smiled. Good. She'd have a nice little surprise waiting for them. Climbing a nearby tree, she readied her crossbow and waited for them to track her down.

o-o-O-o-o

On the Alpha Site, John and Ronon sat in the tent where McKay was fixing the Naquadah generator. John had his boots up on a table full of electronic equipment and was trying to read a technical manual, and Ronon was practicing his knife throwing techniques on the wooden pole in the middle of the tent.The knife whizzed through the air and sunk into the wood. _Thunk._ Ronon walked over to retrieve it, then threw it again. _Thunk_. The process repeated.

Finally McKay slammed the tool he was using onto the table in exasperation. "Would you cut that out?!" he shouted. "Some of us are trying to work here!"

Ronon glared at him, but sheathed his knife and plopped into a chair beside Sheppard. "What else is there to do?" He asked with an air of desperation.

Sheppard stopped making confused faces at the manual he was reading and tossed it onto the table. "Well," he said, "I would say you could try bugging McKay, but it seems you already did."

"Oh yes, thank you so much," The scientist said. "This is not helping me work any faster!"

John smiled and stretched out, crossing his legs at his ankles and putting his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner. "Who said anything about making you work faster? Last time I checked, we had all day."

McKay rolled his eyes and was about to make his retort when a soldier walked into the tent.

"Sir?" the man asked Sheppard.

"What is it, lieutenant?" John replied, taking his feet down off the table.

"We just had an unauthorized offworld activation. No one came through, but this did." The man handed John a chunk of slightly charred wood he had been holding. John glanced at the board and his eyes widened slightly. A gate address had been written on the board in charcoal. That by itself may have been interesting enough, but in the corner of the board was something else: a crudely drawn representation of the Pegasus expedition symbol.

"Thank you, lieutenant," he said. "You're dismissed." the young officer saluted and left the tent.

"What was that all about?" Ronon asked. John handed them the board.

"What do you think?" John asked. "Teyla?"

"There's a chance," Ronon said. "Not much, but it's better than nothing."

"At least we should check it out," Rodney joined in. "This is the first lead we've had."

"Agreed," John said. "I'm going to get a team together and radio Atlantis to let them know what we're doing. You two get ready to go. We're leaving in five minutes."

TBC . . .

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_Thanks to all that have reviewed, and to those of you that haven't . . . c'mon, you know you want to! ;-)_


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate franchise._

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Chapter 5

Teyla sat high in a tree, the dead leaves of fall still clinging tenaciously to the branches around her. Though many had fallen, there was just foliage enough left to provide decent cover. At least she wasn't immediately noticeable. She heard the heavy tromp of feet crunching in the fallen leaves, announcing the arrival of two wraith hunters and a drone. She crouched lower in her hiding place and observed their movements. While the drone scanned their surroundings (only at ground level, of course—drones were never the most intelligent of bodyguards) the hunters walked quickly, their eyes fixed intently on the ground. Teyla was right in thinking they would track her easily. Just as they reached the foot of the tree, one of on the hunters stepped in her carefully laid trap and rushed up into the air, swinging ridiculously by one foot. Before the others had a chance to react, Teyla shot a bolt from the crossbow, piercing the drone's neck. He fell like a rock, and she felt the presence of his mind fade away. Dropping the now-useless crossbow, she swung down out of the tree, grabbing the lowest branch and using it to swing her body around and kick the remaining hunter in the face. He flew backward, giving Teyla time to draw her sword.

The hunter quickly regained his feet and drew a wicked looking sword from his own back, hissing in anger. They slowly advanced toward each other and circled for a moment, judging each other's abilities before the fight began. The wraith struck first, making his warningless attach with the speed of a viper. She matched his speed with a block that was barely in time, and returned his vicious stroke. Soon they were they fighting in earnest, swords flashing so quickly they were nearly indistinguishable. Despite the intensive lessons Ronon had given her in this type of fighting, the wraith was still superior in his skill. How many years had the wraith had to hone his abilities, she wondered? Decades? Centuries? Eventually, the lighting-fast battle began to tire her, and her blocks became infinitesimally slower. The hunter suddenly thrust his sword forward, attempting to pierce her midsection. She managed to redirect the strike, but not completely. The tip of his razor-sharp blade slid across her left leg, leaving a deep cut that quickly filled with blood. She cried out and clutched her leg. The hunter paused, sure in his victory. He brought his sword up for the final blow. Before his sword descended upon her, Teyla straighted up with a loud yell and severed his sword hand from his arm, then in the same instant plunged her own sword through his chest. He fell to his knees, and she twisted her sword viciously before pulling it out with a sickening slurp. The second mind faded away, leaving only the wraith she had left dangling from her trap.

The entire time she had been fighting one hunter, the other had been trying to reach a knife that was strapped to his leg. Just as she turned to finish him off, he finally grasped the hilt. With amazing speed, he drew the knife from its sheath and threw it at her. It hit her right shoulder and she gasped in shock, stumbling and falling to her knees as pain overloaded her senses. The hunter smiled cruelly as she attempted to control her breaths.

Then, glaring venomously at the wraith still suspended from the tree, she straightened. Reaching over, she suddenly drew the knife from her shoulder, stifling an agonizing cry of pain. She threw it at the wraith and the blade plunged deep into his neck. Black blood gushed from the wound, and the last icy presence faded from her mind.

Teyla sank to the ground in exhaustion and relief, wishing she was on Atlantis, or Athos, or anywhere but here. Here, where wraith would haunt her steps until she was dead, or every last one of them had been killed. She had a feeling she knew which would come first. Reverting momentarily to her childhood, she offered up a prayer to the Ancestors that her team had received her message and even now were on their way.

When she had done, she took a deep breath and set about the task of binding her wounds. She ripped apart her jacket with her sword, wrapping the cloth around her leg and covering the knife wound on her shoulder. It would have been easier to rip the cloth with the wraith's knife, but she could not bring herself to wrench it from the creature's neck. The bandaging was clumsily done with one hand, and she knew it would be of little help. If the wraith did not kill her first, she would most likely die of blood loss in the wilderness. She now respected Ronon more than ever. Surviving as a Runner for seven long years was no small feat. As she started to limp away from the scene of the battle, the feeling of deep cold gripped her again.

Six wraith had just come through the stargate.

o-o-O-o-o

John, Ronon, and Rodney, and the four marines John had conscripted stood outside the armory. At some point during the gear up, John had removed his sling and stuffed it into his vest, muttering something about it "just getting in the way". McKay had been too busy fiddling with his gadgets to notice, but Ronon had given him a penetrating glance that he studiously ignored. John took a quick glance at his teammates, assuring himself they were ready. He gave his P-90 a short check, then stepped to the front of the group.

"Okay, people, let's move!" he said. "We've got a dashing rescue to make, and we certainly don't want to be late."

Ronon gave him another weird glance, and John shrugged his shoulders. McKay had just finished dialing as they stepped up, and the blue vortex whooshed out into the air. John, Ronon, and McKay led the way through the shimmering ring of the wormhole.

As soon as they reached the other side of the stargate, the seven men brought their guns up, checking for any sign of activity. Once the area was secure, Rodney pulled out the LSD he had calibrated to show the wraith tracking signal, while Ronon examined the area for tracks.

"Well, looks like Ronon was right," the scientist said. "there's a tracking signal coming from about half a click away from here, in—that direction." he said, pointing. John nodded and turned to Ronon.

"There are two sets of tracks leading away from the gate," Ronon said. "One goes the way McKay pointed out."

"Wait a second," McKay said, tapping the screen intently. "I'm picking up three life signs closing in on her position." He looked up from the LSD, his face suddenly very worried. "They could be wraith."

John nodded, suppressing the fear and worry he felt welling up inside him. "Captain, you take your men and follow the second set of tracks." he said. "If those wraith are still out there, we don't want them sneaking up on our tail. We're going after Teyla. Got it?"

The captain nodded briskly. "Yes, sir!" he said. He and his men started off in the direction Ronon had indicated.

John glanced at his team mates, then broke into a fast jog for the treeline where McKay had pointed. Ronon and Rodney chased after him as fast as they could, constantly on the alert for any signs of wraith—or their missing team mate.

o-o-O-o-o

From her position hidden in the underbrush, Teyla watched another group of wraith pass her position. The one drone accompanying the hunters brought up the rear. After he passed, she silently sneaked out from the foliage and drew her knife. She threw it at the drone, and it stuck deep in his right leg. He grunted in pain and turned around, only to meet with Teyla's foot as she kicked him in the face. As he fell backwards, she wrenched the huge stunner from his hands and shot him with it, then quickly plunged the pointed end of the weapon into the stomach of the hunter that had come up behind her. The hunter snarled in agony, dropping to his knees as she ruthlessly yanked it from his body. Just as she whirled the stunner around to shoot the remaining wraith, the hunter slammed his open palm into her chest. The impact send her sailing through the air, landing on her back with a dull thud. Grimacing in pain, she tried to rise, but the hunter swiftly crossed the distance between them and knelt down near her, putting a knee on her stomach to keep her still. Hissing in anticipation, he slowly raised his hand to feed.

Suddenly, the loud clatter of a P-90 rang out in the clearing and the hunter arched backward, newly formed holes in the front of his jacket leaking black blood. His body fell to the side to reveal John standing a few yards away, his P-90 aimed at the now dead body of the hunter. Teyla never thought she could be so happy to see one person in her life.

"John!" she shouted joyously, rising up on her elbows with a grimace. He ran toward her, Ronon and McKay right behind him. He knelt down by Teyla's side.

"Teyla, are you alright?" he said worriedly, taking in the bloody bandages on her shoulder and leg.

"I will be," she replied. "John, the drone is only stunned—"

Just as the words came out of her mouth, the drone sat up—only to fall a millisecond later, lethal red energy from Ronon's blaster coursing up and down his body. The former runner grinned at him, and John smirked back.

"He's got it covered," he said.

Teyla looked relieved, but still worried. "That is not all of them," she said. "there are still three left on this planet."

"I know, I brought a team from the Alpha site with us. They should be able to take care of them."

Teyla looked at him with increasing concern. "John, I still feel their presence. If that team has come into contact with the other party of wraith, your men have not emerged the victors."

John's brow furrowed, and Ronon immediately went back on full alert. McKay clutched his P-90 and looked nervous.

"They know where I am, John, they will come here," she continued urgently. "They made me a runner."

"Yeah," he said with a sympathetic glance. "Ronon figured as much. Teyla," he said hesitantly, "we need to get that thing out of you before we can go back to Atlantis."

She looked at him."I know," she said.

"Alright," he said. "Ronon! We need to get in a more defensible position in case the three stooges show up."

"There's a cave not far from here," Ronon said. "I hid there when I was a runner."

"Good." Sheppard looked at Teyla, who had not moved since he arrived. "Think you can make it that far?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied, sitting up the rest of the way. John offered her his hand, and she accepted it gratefully. She winced noticeably as she stood up, and looked guiltily at Sheppard's concerned face.

"I believe I may have bruised my ribs when I fell," she said.

"No, really?" Sheppard said sarcastically, but worry hid behind his joking tone. "I saw that superman impression of yours; you're lucky if you're only bruised." He put his right arm under her shoulders for extra support, and she leaned on him heavily. That alone increased his worry tenfold.

"Lead the way, buddy," he said to Ronon.

The big man nodded, taking his place in front of Sheppard, his blaster ever at the ready."This way."

o-o-O-o-o

They had been following Ronon for about three minutes when the runner stopped at the foot of a small hill.

"What are you stopping for?" McKay asked in an annoyed whisper. "We're looking for a cave, not a hill. You, of all people, should know what a cave looks like!"

Ignoring him, Ronon stooped over and pushed some foliage aside, revealing the previously invisible dark mouth of a cave. He looked pointedly at McKay.

"Oh, yes, well, good work," the scientist said, his eyes anywhere but Ronon's.

"Alright," John said. "you two stand guard. I'll get the tracker out." entering the cave, he gently lay Teyla on the ground, trying not to jar her too much.

"I'm sorry, Teyla, but you're going to have to roll over," he said. Groaning slightly, she did so. He grabbed a piece of cloth he had in his pocket, rolled it up, and gave it to her.

"You might want to bite down on that," he said. "This is not gonna feel good."

Taking a deep breath, he took out his knife and cut a small slit in the back of Teyla's shirt. He immediately noticed a new-looking scar between her shoulderblades. Wincing in sympathy, he placed the edge of his knife on the scar and cut into her back. Teyla whimpered slightly, her arms tensing by her side. Finishing the cut, he probed the wound as gently as possible for the device. He shortly found it and removed it as quickly as possible, placed it on the floor of the cave. Then he took a rock and smashed it into a million little pieces. Turning back to Teyla, he took a dressing out of his vest and bandaged the wound as best he could.

"Teyla," he said, "I'm done. We need to get out of here now." He received no response. "Teyla?" He gently shook her uninjured shoulder. Still nothing.

He gently turned her over, and sighed in frustration. She had passed out. He had been afraid of that . . . from the looks of it, she had lost a lot of blood. The problem was that now she would have to be carried to the gate, and since his shoulder still wasn't healed, that someone would have to be Ronon. That left him and McKay against three wraith. Things were not looking good.

o-o-O-o-o

Sheppard poked his head out of the cave, looking for Ronon. He could see Rodney, crouching in the underbrush a few steps away, but where had the big man gone?

"Ronon!" he whispered loudly. "Ronon, where are you?"

"Right here," a voice said from his elbow.

John nearly jumped out of his skin. He had been right next to him! The man could go dang near invisible when he wanted to. Sheppard took a breath to calm his jangled nerves.

"I need your help with Teyla," he said. "she passed out and I can't carry her with my shoulder yet."

With a final glance into the woods, Ronon wordlessly holstered his blaster and entered the cave. He emerged a moment later with Teyla in his arms. Man, she looked pale, Sheppard thought. They needed to get her back to Atlantis.

"McKay!" Sheppard said. The scientist got up and came over, his face showing concerned surprise at the sight of Teyla in the runner's arms.

"Good grief, what did you do to her?" McKay asked.

"What I had to," Sheppard said, annoyed. Partly with himself. "Keep your eyes open, and be as quiet as possible. No talking unless _absolutely necessary_," he said with a look at McKay.

"What?" came the indignant reply. "Why do you always look at me?"

"What did I just say?" the colonel asked. Rodney rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, but said nothing.

"Good," Sheppard said. "Now let's go."

o-o-O-o-o

The trip to the gate was quiet, without a hint of any living thing on the planet other than themselves. John was beginning to think that the other wraith had left, but with Teyla unconscious there was no way to tell. Just as they were about to enter the clearing where the stargate was located, John heard the distinctive sound of a wraith stunner. Ronon was hit and fell to the ground; somehow managing not to fall on top of Teyla. Instead, he hit his head on a half-sunken rock, making a large cut above his right eye. John quickly fired a burst of P-90 rounds into the drone that had fired the shot, the wraith fell with a satisfying thud. At the same time, a twig snapped behind McKay. The scientist whirled around, firing his pistol blindly until it clicked empty. Opening his eyes, the scientist looked into the surprised face of wraith with a bullet hole smack in the middle of its forehead. It toppled to the side, its dead face frozen in a permanent expression of shock.

John looked at McKay, his face almost as surprised as the wraith's. "Wow. Nice shoot—" his words were cut off by a knife whizzing through the air and sinking deep into his thigh.

"Ah!" he shouted, grabbing at his leg. Suddenly the distinctive sound of Ronon's blaster rang out, and the offending wraith sank to the ground, dead. Sheppard and McKay's heads whipped around, only to see an extremely pale-looking Teyla half laying on the still body of Ronon, his blaster in her hand and aimed at the dead wraith.

"John!" she said, struggling to her feet and almost falling. Rodney rushed over to steady her. "John, are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah," he grunted. "I'll be fine. How's Ronon?"

Ronon stirred at the sound of their voices, then shot up into a sitting position and reached for his empty holster. A little too quickly, as he almost passed out again. "Are all the wraith dead?" he asked as soon as he lost his green shade. "And where's my gun?" he added a split second later.

"Yes, all the wraith are dead. And it's right there." Sheppard said, indicating where Teyla had dropped the blaster. "Teyla borrowed it." he said with a smirk. "Feel up to giving me a hand here?" he asked. "It's kinda hard to walk with a knife stuck in my leg."

Ronon nodded, shoved his blaster in his holster, and stood up. John draped his arm around the runner's shoulders and looked over at Rodney and Teyla. She seemed to be leaning on McKay a bit more than the scientist would have liked, but he would just have to live with it the short distance to the gate. As they hobbled off to the stargate, he couldn't help but think how awful they all looked. He smiled. All of them. They may have looked terrible, but his team—no, his family—had been reunited. And they were going home. Together.

_To Be Concluded . . ._

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_Awww . . . it wouldn't be Stargate without the team love. Or would it? You tell me! Just click that pretty little review button . . . :D Next (and last) chapter will be the Epilogue, so it won't be nearly as long as this one. Stay tuned, and I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far! ;)_


	6. Epilogue

_Disclaimer: I own none of the Stargate franchise._

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Epilogue

Dr. Weir was walking down the staircase when the team stepped—or rather, stumbled—through the stargate and into the gateroom. Her eyes widened when she saw the condition of the team, and the fact that they had Teyla with them. She practically ran down the remaining steps toward them.

"John, what happened?" she asked, staring at them in disbelief.

"Long story," he replied with a grimace.

Now that the adrenaline from their encounter with the wraith had worn off, John's leg was starting to become really painful. He felt the wound throb with every heartbeat, and the weight of the knife still in the wound was agony. Blood slowly trickled down his leg on the floor, leaving red spots wherever he walked. He felt like he could just lie down on the floor and pass out. Apparently Teyla was having a similar problem, because suddenly she went completely limp in Rodney's arms.

"Whoa," McKay said, catching her before she fell. "A little help here?" he called as the medical team rushed into the gateroom.

John saw Teyla being taken from Rodney laid gently on a gurney, doctor Beckett leaning over her and shouting orders to his team. Then he saw Carson turn to him, point at his injured leg and say something to his team. Even though John strained to hear what was said, the words were lost in the loud buzzing that was quickly masking all other sounds. Then his leg shot blinding pain through his body, and darkness slowly closed on his vision.

o-o-O-o-o

John slowly opened his eyes, feeling the soft sheets of the infirmary beneath his arms and hearing the soft beep of a heart monitor next to his bed. Looking quickly down to his leg, he saw only the outline of his body underneath the clean white blankets. No knife sticking out of his leg. Good.

Wait, hold on a minute—Teyla! Where was she? Had they really found her, or was it all just a dream? He quickly turned to his left, then breathed a deep sigh of relief. Teyla was stretched out on the bed next to him, fast asleep. He took the opportunity to examined her closely . . . well, as closely as he could from about five feet away. Her face was no longer as pale as it had been on the planet, and her right shoulder was bandaged. Just like him, she was hooked up to an I.V. going down to her arm.

Despite all the other indications of his senses, John felt like he needed to touch her, to make sure she wasn't some cruel hallucination from his overstressed mind. So many times in the past two days he thought she had been lost forever; that he would never see her again. She was so close now, only a little ways away—he sat up in his bed, wincing as he removed the I.V. from his arm. Trying not to use his bad leg, he lifted himself out of his bed and onto the chair next to Teyla. He leaned forward and took her hand in his trembling one. It was a little cold, but it was real. He closed his eyes in relief. She was there, and they were all safe. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, he could rest. He lay his head down on his other arm where it was resting on her mattress. Just a moment, he thought, then he would return to his own bed.

o-o-O-o-o

Ten minutes later, Elizabeth walked into the infirmary. Noticing John's empty bed, she was just about to call for a nurse when she saw a tuft of dark hair sticking up from Teyla's other side. Drawing closer, she saw that John had fallen asleep in the chair next to Teyla, his head resting on the edge of her bed and her hand firmly grasped in his. She smiled slightly. She took one last look at the two slumbering team mates, then left the infirmary as quietly as she could.

o-o-O-o-o

John woke up to a crick in his neck and a throbbing leg. Where was he? He lifted his head. Oh. He must have fallen asleep in the chair next to Teyla. He was about to try to get back into his bed when he noticed that he had never let go of Teyla's hand. As he began to loosen his fingers, he suddenly realized that he had no wish to let go. Come to think of it, why did he have to? Taking a quick glance around the infirmary, he didn't see anyone around who could blackmail him for holding his team member's hand. Maybe he could stay there a little longer.

Suddenly the fingers he was holding began to move, and Teyla's eyes fluttered.

"Teyla?" he said quietly.

Her head turned toward his voice, and brown eyes opened lazily. "John?" she whispered, her voice sounding very tired.

He smiled. "Yeah, it's me," he replied.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You passed out in the gateroom. The docs fixed you all up, you're fine now," John said reassuringly.

She was looking at him through half-lidded eyes, a small smile playing about her lips at just seeing him.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"For what?" John asked. Her eyes began to drift shut again.

"Everything," she whispered.

John smiled. "You're welcome." he said softly. "Any time." And he meant it. No matter what happened, he would always come for her. And he knew, without a doubt, that she would do the same for him. It was who they were. A team. More than that, they were a family. And that feeling was something John wouldn't have given up for the world.

_The End_

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_Well, there you have it! I certainly hope you enjoyed reading this story, and a very big "THANK YOU" to everyone who reviewed! You made me a very happy writer. :D Until next time!_

_-WingedPegasus_


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